Morgan Rogers opens up on Villa rise, West Brom move and Mick McCarthy's help

After moving to Manchester City from Albion as a 17-year-old, Halesowen-born Rogers then spent time on loan at Blackpool under McCarthy.

And, speaking to the Official Villa Podcast, the now 22-year-old credits McCarthy for his help in adjusting to men's football.

Speaking about McCarthy, Rogers said: “He's a completely different style of manager.

“But I wanted to play, so I'd do anything to play. So, then I started to end up being this big focal-point striker, which I've never done before, but I'll do anything to play.

“Now, when I play in the Premier League and I'm against a 6ft 6in, big, strong, I kind of somewhat know how to combat it because Mick McCarthy was so big on me having to do it then.

“So, people might see stuff as a negative, but when you actually look back at it, I learned that from there, because before then I'd never had to play against a big, nasty centre-back.

“And now, when I play against Van Dijk or someone next week and he's pulling me around, I kind of somewhat know how to handle myself.”

Rogers also spoke about his West Brom roots, which meant his dad encouraged him to join the Baggies’ academy from Sunday side Halas Hawks, despite offers from Villa, Wolves and Birmingham.

“My dad followed West Brom when he was a kid," he said. “So, my dad was probably a bit more of West Brom. And then obviously, because I played for them, it just kind of made sense to follow that path.

“They're all the people he idolised, Bryan Robson, they're all the people he idolised growing up.

“So, for him it was perfect when I joined when I was younger. I wasn't really a fan so much. Obviously, I was because I was playing for them, but not a hardcore, ‘would go to the games outside of it’ and stuff like that.

“I hope I'm not upsetting Villa fans because I was never a fan as such!”

Rogers impressed Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup in 2019 and was snapped up by Pep Guardiola's side just a matter of weeks later.

And he has now opened up how it was a wrench to leave the "comfort" of The Hawthorns, where he had already made his senior debut.

“They just hit me massively by surprise," he said. "It would probably be naive thinking I was going to be at West Brom my whole career at the time, and you don't really think about transfers when you're 15 or 16.

“It's not something you think about. It came out of nowhere, but speaking with my family, it’s an opportunity I really couldn't pass up.

“The chance to work with the people that were there, the coaches, the staff, the players, the potential.

“And they were a club at the time, just off the back of four or five titles or what not,

"And the quality of players that they had, it was a no-brainer. But I was scared!

“I was probably the one in my family that was least saying ‘yes’. Out of everyone who was saying, ‘I think it's a good idea, I think it's a good opportunity'.

“I was the one probably fighting West Brom's corner saying, ‘what about this? What about that?’

“It was a comfort thing. It's all I ever knew. I was happy, I was playing. I was enjoying it.

“When looking back at it, looking from the outside, it's an opportunity you can't pass up at that age.”

Since signing for Villa a year ago, Rogers has gone on to become a key player, scoring a hat-trick in their most recent Champions League game against Celtic, and has also broken through to the England set-up - winning two caps.

But he insists his rise is not done yet as he bids to become even better.

“I want to be seen as one of the best players in the league in terms of that category of that ‘next jump’, that ‘next level’ that gets spoken about," he said. “Same with England, I don't just want to be a squad player or to go there and be someone. I don't just want to be on the periphery of it.

“So, they're my next goals, they're my next challenges, but I know that starts with every day here first and foremost.

“That's something to look forward to and that will come off the back of what I do here and how I am here. So, it's about here and just keep progressing, keep getting better, keep trying to improve and play with a smile on my face.”